Famed Italian Chef Carlo Cracco plated up some of his unique and innovative dishes for Canadian palates recently. The Michelin Star Chef was the special guest of honour for the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada (CCIC) Gala earlier this month in Montreal. Guests were treated to an exquisite menu crafted for the event by the icon himself.
The dinner featured:
An antipasto of Uovo soffice, mais, funghi e Tartufo Bianco
A primo of Risotto mantecato al topinambur, jus di vitello e melagrana
A secondo of Filetto di manzo gratinato al Tartufo Nero, salsa al Marsala e sedano rapa
And a dolce of Nuvola di mascarpone, fichi e cameris du Quebec
Thanks to the CCIC, I had the pleasure of being able to exchange a few words with Chef Cracco during an interview on the morning of the event. Note: the interview was conducted in Italian but has been translated to English for this piece.
JA: Welcome to Canada Chef, is this your first time visiting? Have you had the opportunity to get a taste of Canadian cuisine?
CC: Yes, it’s my first time in Canada and it’s very beautiful. I’ve had the opportunity to see some of the surrounding area here in Montreal and generally speaking I can say that my impressions of the country are very positive.
I have tasted a few things such as maple syrup which is probably the most recognized food item but I have also tried different meats and vegetables including local mushrooms. The food scene, from what I’ve noted, is very interesting and has a lot to offer.
JA: You’re in Canada for the CCIC Gala whose menu will bear your distinct culinary signature. What can guests expect from tonight’s dinner?
CC: My hope is that I can bring a taste of what I prepare in Milano to this evening’s guests in Montreal and to be able to showcase the best of Italian ingredients. There is a large Italian community here that is quite knowledgeable about the cuisine and my aim is to help them develop an even greater appreciation for it.
JA: For those who may not know who Chef Cracco is, how would you describe your culinary style and philosophy?
CC: Culinary style is something that is always evolving and everyone has a different interpretation of food; styles are not uniform. I would say my style is Italian cuisine with a touch of irony as I pay homage to the ingredients and honour their spirit. It’s my personal vision, while being tied to tradition, I also put a contemporary spin on it.
JA: On the subject of Italian cuisine, you are one of the chefs lending your support to the campaign for the candidacy of Italian cuisine as a UNESCO Intangible Heritage Element. How important will this recognition be for the cuisine and the country as a whole?
CC: It will be a very important honour. Recognition of the cuisine by UNESCO will be the recognition of 22 regions individually, each with their own distinct foods and products, but united as a whole which make up our country. This will be a very unique opportunity for all of us to share what Italian cuisine is exactly, how it came to be and how it is evolving. This sharing within the country and to the world what our cuisine is, may be the most important thing. The UNESCO recognition would allow us to truly value our culinary heritage.
I have no doubt that Italian cuisine will be recognized as an intangible heritage element which will truly celebrate and allow us to appreciate and value our cuisine even more.
JA: In addition to your culinary passion, you are also an avid traveler. Do your discoveries during travel influence your dishes?
CC: Sometimes travel influences my dishes and other times it does not. What I do enjoy most is making the discoveries, seeing and understanding what each place has to offer. Even here in Canada, it is a relatively young nation in terms of history but it’s interesting to see the integration from one area to the next works so well. Every area has its own offerings and traditions however, they seem to come together to create something bigger and greater, and herein lies the importance of culture in cuisine. What I enjoy most is this exploration and I have already noted to my team that we must return to explore more of this country. The only challenge is its size, here in Quebec alone I can see how much larger this country is than Italy.
JA: On the subject of regional discoveries and local specialties, your series on Prime “Dinner Club” sees you travelling to different Italian regions to make these very local discoveries. For example, in Calabria you featured something called ‘u sacchiattu’ which as someone of Calabrese descent, I’d never heard of. How was this idea for “Dinner Club” born and how important is it to you to have audiences learn about these regional specialties?
CC: This is the reality of our culinary culture, there are so many small towns, each with their own diverse traditions that remain undiscovered because they exist solely in their specific areas. The beauty of creating this series is the opportunity that it offers for the audience to make these new and unique discoveries of which there are a multitude. It’s also beautiful to meet wonderful people who help to uncover these products and traditions and unique local recipes. There are so many that I too learn about and discover and I’m amazed. We presume to know about regional food but in reality, there is still so much to discover, to see and to taste. This is the true beauty of “Dinner Club” whose third season will be streaming in November.
JA: In addition to this series on Prime, we recognize you from Master Chef Italia, Hell’s Kitchen Italy and more recently you were featured on Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy on CNN? How important is your television presence?
CC: Television amplifies and showcases what one does. Even though as a medium it is becoming less mainstream with younger audiences watching it less, it still remains a primary method of diffusing information into the world and because of this, it is also something that still allows you to dream. You might see something on tv and say to yourself, I’d like to travel there and discover that and this is a wonderful thing.
JA: We spoke about you being a television star but I often compare chefs to rockstars and we have in fact seen some of Carlo Cracco in the world of music. You were a guest on the podcast of Italian rapper Fedez and we saw you on the Sanremo stage several years back introducing popstar Annalisa. Do you feel there is a correlation between food and music?
CC: Yes, there is a definite correlation. Music is an expression of culture and we as Italians know this very well with our unique music. We have strong musical traditions and highly recognized musical artists. Music evolves, grows and expands, and can be interpreted in many ways, much like the art of cooking. Cooking changes and evolves, not because of the chefs but because it develops, it is shaped based on environmental changes, on changing eating habits, on how we approach gathering around a table. I believe that there are many beautiful parallels between food and music.
JA: To conclude, I’d like to ask, what is the key ingredient in Carlo Cracco’s kitchen?
CC: Love. Love and passion. These are the two most important and unique ingredients when it comes to cooking and with love and passion everything works perfectly.
The perfect concluding sentiment from a passionate and decorated chef whose art I hope to one day enjoy. My thanks once again to the CCIC for coordinating this interview and for the gala photos, and of course to Chef Carlo Cracco, who generously offered me the time to connect over Italian cuisine. Buon Appetito!
